Hopes for a settlement may be on the rise, but the war will end once and for all only if at least six tricky issues can be resolved

After a week-long diplomatic gavotte over protocol, representatives of the four factions in Cambodia's civil war were all present in Jakarta last weekend. On hand were Prime Minister Hun Sen and leaders of two of the three guerrilla armies fighting to overthrow him: Son Sann and Khieu Samphan of the infamous Khmer Rouge. The third, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, pleaded a last- minute illness and sent a stand-in.

The gathering was to consider a maddeningly complex peace proposal put forth last month by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council that requires approval by all the Cambodian "parties" before it...